FINAL DESTINATION (2000)
Typically, I cower in the comfortable bowels of obscurity, but every once in awhile, I like to review a film that might have been watched by other human eyes. It's not without precedent. I do flirt with the mainstream. Whether it flirts back or not, well, that's why I always crawl back into the darkness. But before I do! Let's talk about Final Destination, a movie I have now seen twice. Upon the first viewing, I was a pesky, mercurial teenager, and I wasn't crazy about it. I remember feeling that it was a paint-by-numbers slasher disguised as something more intellectual. For some reason, I resented it for being popular with the horror crowd. I was weird back then. Okay, weirder. After revisiting this slick supernatural thriller (???), I've decided to change my tune. Teenaged Dom wasn't right about everything, despite his claims to the contrary.
I don't know that I can pinpoint one aspect of Final Destination that worked its magic on me. But overall, it did. The story of a high schooler cheating death, while not entirely novel, does allow for folks such as Devon Sawa and Ali Larter to deliver poised performances with pathos. The death sequences strike a happy balance between painstakingly precise (the shower cord strangulation) and straight-up grotesque (the railway decapitation). There are plenty of chills and spills, enough to make this an optimal date movie (y'know, if you're into that sort of thing). Still, I wouldn't say this was my favorite of the franchise. I need to revisit them to be sure, but it's hard to go wrong with A.J. Cook in Final Destination 2. Man, teenaged Dom was head over heels for her back in the day. I guess he was right some of the time. Does this flick even require a recommendation? I'll recommend it anyway...for fans of late 90's cheese and departure lounges. Don't forget departure lounges.
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